This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 441.

… For the first time in US history, America betrays South Korea, one of our closest allies for over 75 years. Trump posted:

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of N. Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the US has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with S. Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the USA (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises! While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of S. Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of Iran, and they said, “No thanks!”

… Meidas reporter Aaron Parnas: A family member with loved ones serving aboard the USS Boxer reached out to us directly to describe a supply crisis unfolding on the amphibious assault ship, one that echoes what we’ve been hearing for weeks about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The source is being kept anonymous to protect them and their family from retaliation:

• “Family member here. Family and friends on the Boxer have been out so long and aren’t receiving care packages. Women have run out of feminine hygiene items due to no resupplies happening. They pack enough and some extra for deployment but not for all the extensions and no port calls. They were begging us to send them extra pads and tampons so they could share them out. But then none of our packages got delivered.”

… CNN: The wife of US Service Member on the Lincoln reacted to Trump’s statement that everything is fine: “I don’t think the man thinks before he talks. Take some accountability for what’s going on with your military, your ships, and your war. We heard Hegseth and the president essentially saying that families are lying and service members are lying, even though the proof is right here on my phone.”

… “It’s infuriating that they’re not taking accountability and not having any sort of sympathy for our service members that they they claim that they support when it’s politically, you know, sound for them—until our troops need support. And now suddenly everyone’s lying.”

… On why she remains anonymous: “I so badly would love to plaster my face and blow the whistle so loud on social media with my name and be like, this is real. But unfortunately, I have to protect my husband’s career.”

… Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA): “I have no interest in listening to a draft dodging chicken hawk act tough while blowing off the concerned families of Sailors and Marines under his command. Would love to see him say that to the faces of these patriotic military families.”

… Maritime historian and professor Sal Mercogliano: “What is the issue with Abraham Lincoln? Poor food quality on board. Crew members who have jumped or attempted to jump overboard. Extended deployment in a combat zone. The question is why is this happening. The loss of bases in Bahrain, UAE and Oman has forced the US Navy, the Military Sealift Command and Defense Logistics Agency to source stores from bases in East Africa or East Asia. “

… “MSC has committed a fleet of logistics ships to deliver fuel, food, and ammunition, but those ships have to sail thousands of miles, vice hundreds to keep two dozen combatants at sea. Even at the height of WWII, the logistics train used by the Navy was shorter than the one being used now in the Arabian Sea. There is an issue with adequate warehouse and refrigeration storage at Diego Garcia and the ability to deliver stores to that site as there is just one contracted ship in that service.”

… “As the US Navy ships are not making routine port calls in the region, they are completely dependent on stores loaded on a ship in Kenya, Singapore, Japan, or Korea and arriving on board after weeks already afloat. During WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Persian Gulf War and Iraq War, the US Navy understood the concept that ships need down time from combat operations to reset the crew and equipment.”

… “Working on a ship is GROUNDHOG DAY - every day is the same. No days off, no vacation, and you live where you work. This place a massive strain on everything, particularly the mental stress on young sailors. Even in WWII, the fast carriers of Task Force 38/58 would only stay at sea for a month at a time. TF 77 off Korea and Yankee Station in Vietnam followed similar models.”

… “The underlining issue is fighting a war with a peacetime Navy and mentality. There are not enough assets in place to support this mission, and this mission is grinding down the readiness of the military to fight future conflicts.”

… AP: “Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of US aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression. The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier.”

… “The lack of a US carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the open-ended operations with Iran are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump admin further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the Western Hemisphere.”

… Greg Poling with Center for Strategic and Intl Studies: “The admin says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere. Instead, the US is doing the exact opposite. China is quite happy with US distraction, with the frustration of US allies and partners.”

… Former Marine and Military Times reporter James Webb: “We no longer have a carrier presence in the Pacific. The war on Iran is burning through equipment and people. Now the Lincoln, along with the Ford, will most certainly undergo maintenance for an extended period because of the length of their deployments in support of the war in Iran.”

… “Those deployments will also hurt retention. And the question is: for what? It’s not like they were chasing the Japanese Navy across the Pacific following an attack like Pearl Harbor.”

… “Now the Admin, despite all the warnings about Taiwan and a China-focused National Security Strategy, is moving our only carrier out of the Pacific. This is a major strategic signal, coming on the heels of news that we’ve burned through other major capabilities such as interceptors, radars, stand-off munitions, and a large chunk of the MQ-9 fleet, among other things.”

… “It is clear that the Iran war is not only detrimental to US national security, but a potential strategic blunder worse than Iraq if we don’t cut bait; and this is the conversation pro-war types want to avoid at all costs.”

… CNBC: “The caverns that hold the US strategic oil reserves could get damaged by the rapid release of stockpiles in response to the Iran war, experts warned this week as inventories hit a 4-decade low. Damage to the caverns would make it more difficult to respond to future energy emergencies. The oil in the SPR is stored at 60 salt caverns thousands of feet underground at four major sites along the Gulf Coast in LA and TX.”

… “The SPR has tumbled below 300 million barrels for the first time since it was filled in the early 1980s, according to Dept of Energy data. Inventories are depleting as the US releases 172 million barrels in response to the supply disruption caused by the Iran war. The SPR will sit at around 243 million barrels after the drawdown is finished. The Energy Dept has said at least 70 million barrels must remain in the reserve to safely manage the caverns.”

… Amos Hochstein, a senior energy advisor to Joe Biden, disputed that figure this week: “Don’t believe the people out of the govt that are saying the SPR can go to 70 million barrels. It’s nonsense. At that level, the reserve would be depleted to the point of never resurrecting it. I don’t know anyone who believes we can go below 300. I know plenty of people who think we can’t get near 300 because physically you will damage the caverns where the oil is stored.”

… WaPo: “The US Navy is considering a major redesign of its new aircraft carriers to better match Trump’s aesthetic preferences for the warships. The President has expressed concerns over the location of the ‘island’ on the Ford-class of carriers, which operates as the ship’s bridge as well as an air traffic control tower and is located more towards the rear of the vessel, with Trump preferring the multistory tower be moved to the middle of the flight deck, like on aircraft carriers seen during WWII.”

… “Moving that command center would be the second major design change prompted by Trump, who on Thursday issued a national security memorandum directing the Navy to develop a plan to revert to older steam-powered catapults on future aircraft carriers, scrapping the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System currently employed on the USS Gerald R. Ford.”

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “The ship redesign costing billions based on Trump’s whims will never happen. Dems will flip the House. We will stop the waste of taxpayer dollars from Trump. Instead, the Navy will draw pretty pictures of ships that will never be built to soothe the ego of an 80 year old fool.”

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO): “Pete Hegseth and his cronies are corrupting the Pentagon. Hegseth’s special adviser helps decide which senior military officers get promotions—while also keeping a private law practice and giving legal advice to the same clients. Tim Parlatore gives advice to Hegseth on which senior military officers get promotions. Parlatore also maintains his own private law practice. According to public reports, he’s represented private clients on the side while working for the govt.”

… “When Hegseth testified before Congress and the American people in April, I asked him if Parlatore represents senior officers up for promotion. Hegseth said no. But new reporting contradicts Hegseth’s testimony. According to the report, a senior military officer was being considered for a promotion as Chief Naval Officer. The Pentagon’s watchdog was actively investigating the officer at the time.”

… “Who did he hire to help him clear his name? Tim Parlatore. Afterward, the officer got promoted, even though he actually had not been recommended by Navy leadership. But Parlatore put his name forward to Hegseth.”

… “Our military leaders make life and death decisions. Who leads our men and women in uniform must be chosen with integrity and based on merit. Anything less puts our national security at risk. I’m calling for Hegseth to set the record straight. Our servicemembers, their families, and the American public deserve the truth.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to free subscribers who are also able to participate in the comments section. If you missed Friday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes.

Tomorrow is also the Ask the Editor podcast where I choose 5 of your questions from the comments section to answer. If you have a question for the show or just a topic that you want me to talk more about, post it below.

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who cast the deciding vote to confirm both RFK Jr and Todd Blanche, on CNN:

• On Trump’s vaccine press conference this week with RFK Jr: “If it wasn’t so potentially tragic, you would break out laughing. It is wrong on so many levels.”

• Q - “Trump said the combined MMR is lethal and the size of a soda bottle. Is Trump saying crazy, stupid things that undermine faith in immunization? Cassidy: Yeah, that’s a crazy, stupid thing. This is why the president’s poll numbers are going down.”

• Q - “When you were asked if you regret your vote for RFK Jr, you noted you ‘couldn’t see into the future.’ How do you respond to the criticism that you just needed to look to the past because he’s been spreading disinformation about vaccines for 22 years? Cassidy: All I can say is you have to live life living forward.”

• Q - “You voted for Todd Blanche. Do you think it’s appropriate for the AG to be participating in a partisan political event? Cassidy: All I saw was that little snippet. I’m going to reserve comment because I was not aware of that before this.”

… Cassidy then went on ABC:

• Q - “You ultimately voted for RFK Jr’s nomination, despite concerns about his views on vaccines, on autism. He convinced you in some ways that nothing would change. Was he lying to you? Cassidy: There were guarantees that were given to me by the WH. But it’s pretty evident that was RFK Jr’s pledge. The American people are poorly served.”

• Q - “You knew what RFK had said for years about autism. What convinced you he would change? Cassidy: You know, there’s a lot of a lot of parents who contacted me. I am a representative of people. I got 1000 contacts over that period of time, 60 to 70% of them were from folks who believed in the need to address ultra processed food.”

… RFK Jr. was questioned on CNN about the recent press conference where he and Trump claimed childhood vaccines cause autism:

• Q - “Trump said when you put them together, they’re sort of like a nuclear weapon. But the CDC itself, your own CDC, says no published scientific evidence shows any benefit in separating the combination of MMR vaccine into 3 individual shots. So who’s right, Trump or your own CDC? RFK Jr: I think the CDC website probably is outdated.”

• Q - “But right now in America, there is no separate mumps, measles, rubella vaccine. It’s all combined into one thing so isn’t that going to take years? RFK Jr: Well, we’re going to we’re going to do it as quickly as we can.”

• Q - “In terms of that idea of it’s the size of a soda bottle. I mean, that’s not accurate. Right? RFK Jr: Well, I think people make their own assessment about whether something is the size of a soda bottle or not. So I don’t think that that is going to have any impact.”

… Slate: “You could not ask for a more complete and hair-raising compendium of the insane things that Silicon Valley moguls have said and advocated for than journalist Gil Durán’s new book, The Nerd Reich. The book identifies such billionaires as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel as the spiders at the center of a web of ‘philosophers,’ tech evangelists, start-up founders, and—most disturbingly—politicians who subscribe to a set of authoritarian ideas and plans for the future based on half-baked theories and an incomplete understanding of how the world works.”

… “Thiel, the supervillain in this story, was profoundly shaped by a 1997 book, The Sovereign Individual. One of the countless titles published every year predicting some form of imminent social or economic collapse and offering advice on how to survive it, the book struck Thiel as prescient, a prophecy of the coming invention of both cryptocurrency and AI, the subsequent downfall of nation-states, and the rise of individuals as complete masters of their own fates—or, at least, those individuals smart, and therefore rich, enough to command such power.”

… Through a network of protégés and via his own vast wealth and the influence of his venture capital firm, Thiel has spread these and a hodgepodge of other often incoherent ideas throughout both industry and govt. Duran: “The most important thing to understand about JD Vance is that he is almost entirely a creation of Peter Thiel.”

… “In this light, some of the more baffling obsessions of the current admin—such as its desire to acquire Greenland—become more intelligible as manifestations of Silicon Valley ambitions and lobbying. A key element of what Durán refers to as TESCREALism, is a plan to set up ‘network cities,’ independent and regulation-free polities in which the supermen of Big Tech will be allowed to do whatever they like.”

… You may recall Trump during the 2024 campaign putting out a video, based on Project 2025, promising the creation of 10 new ‘Freedom Cities’ that would be built in the US that would be free of all govt regulations. I wonder who that came from.

… Mother Jones: “Federal regulators have given Trump’s family crypto business a conditional approval to operate like a bank. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency—led by Trump appointee Jonathan Gould—announced that World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture controlled by the Trump family, was on track to receive a banking charter. This will allow WLF to issue its stablecoin tokens inside the US without an intermediary.”

… Michael Stratford with Politico: “The decision stands to give new powers and federal credibility to a venture in which Trump and his family retain a substantial financial interest. It’s also among the most direct official actions that the admin has taken involving the president’s private finances.”

… “Trump made $65 million in 2025 by selling shares in WLF. According to his financial disclosures, Trump also made almost $600 million selling stablecoins and other digital assets through WLF that year.”

… Democratic lawmakers are pointing to the regulatory green light as an example of Trump’s corruption. As the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced the move, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote on social media that “this is the most brazen act of self-dealing our system has ever seen.”

… NOTUS financial reporter Jeff Stein: “Just so people are really aware of what this means: A Trump appointee has approved Trump’s personal crypto firm to operate as a bank. Corporations can conduct transactions in which the Trump family gets a cut.
The public will not have to be informed. There’s no precedent for this.”

… Sen. Jon Ossoff at a campaign rally today:

• “When he first announced the tariffs, you remember that? He called it Liberation Day, and it crashed the markets because it was clown policy. You remember that? He announces the tariffs on April 2 of last year. The markets tank nonstop for like a week because it’s a disastrous trade policy, and 6 days into the crash, Trump buys millions in stock. I’m talking Amazon, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway, and then the very next morning, he posts on Truth Social, quote, ‘This is a great time to buy’ with 3 exclamation marks.”

• “3 hours and 41 minutes after that post, one day after he bought millions in stock, he canceled the tariffs and triggered one of the biggest same-day rebound rallies in market history. He’s trying to get money. And you saw, now he’s offering paid subscriptions to presidential announcements, right? Just understand what’s for sale here: The sitting president’s pronouncements on war and peace and economic policy delivered first to paying customers. What an absolute crook.”

• “While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs and trades stocks. So he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”

… Travel with Natalie.

• “On day 9 of the war, the incompetent Pete Hegseth guaranteed Iranian surrender. On day 14, he claimed Iran's military had been destroyed On day 40, he said every single objective had been achieved. That was 4 months ago. They've lied nonstop about this war like they lie about everything, and they know they're lying, but they lie and they keep lying anyway because in this WH they view deceit as a virtue.”

• “Why this obsession with Fulton County? It’s the same reason he’s obsessed with Philly. It’s the same reason he’s obsessed with Detroit. It’s because the fact that Black voters were instrumental to his defeat offends him even more than the defeat itself.”

… NYT: “Brent Jindra, a tech salesman, voted for Trump 3 times, drawn by his aggressive immigration agenda. He never imagined the crackdown would ensnare his own wife. Last month, moments after the couple got off their flight in Burbank, CA, a young man in a brown hooded sweatshirt stopped Galina Bobreneva. The man was a federal agent, and after questioning Bobreneva for about 15 minutes, he led her away in handcuffs to an unmarked vehicle.”

… “So began a 16-day ordeal: a night on the floor of a basement holding cell in downtown LA; two weeks in a Mojave Desert detention center and a frantic legal effort to win her release. Freed on a $35,000 bond with an electronic monitor clamped to her ankle, she is now fighting to stay in the US against federal charges of overstaying her visa.”

… “Bobreneva, who is from Russia (of course), has a pending green card application, and her lawyer asserts that she was never out of lawful status. Her case represents a new front in Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people whose visas have expired but who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.”

… Jindra considered himself a MAGA patriot until his wife’s detention: “She did not jump a wall, she did not swim a river. She came in Trump’s beautiful, big front door.”

… “Bobreneva arrived on a tourist visa in late 2021, extended it twice following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and applied for asylum in 2022. She met Jindra in March 2025 and by December they were married.”

… “Bobreneva described neglect, filth and people in despair. For 120 women, there were 7 showers; only 4 worked. Potable water was scarce; ailing people were denied care until they required hospitalization, she said, echoing allegations in a federal lawsuit. The GEO Group, which operates the detention center, declined to comment on Bobreneva’s allegations and referred questions to ICE.”

… Fox interviewed Speaker Mike Johnson about the midterms:

• Q - “If you're a young person and you're disenchanted, you can't afford a home, you're having trouble with healthcare and you feel failed by the economy, what is the Republican alternative? Johnson: Well, the answer is not to turn everything over to the govt, because that never works.”

• "We put in this Congress into place all the economic conditions to let the economy take off like a rocket, and beginning in the first quarter of this year that's what was happening, and then we got into the conflict with Iran. That's the big headwind we have right now."

… WRAL(NC) attempted to asked Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for senate in NC, about his plan to make things more affordable. He walked away. Host: “He wouldn’t take questions on that during an event today, even though we sent the Whatley camp questions more than 24 hours ago looking for specific plans to reduce energy costs and empower workers and just make things more affordable. We have not been given a response.”

… Todd Blanche on NBC’s Meet the Press:

• Q - “Can you pledge the DOJ will always act independently of the WH? Blanche: No, I'm not going to pledge that, and no AG ever should. Q - So if the president asked you do to something that you feel crosses an ethical or legal line, would you do it? Blanche: He would never do that. He never has. He never will.”

• Q - “Can you guarantee that under your leadership anyone who attacked the Capitol on J6 will not receive one dime of taxpayer money if they file a claim against the govt? Blanche: I can't do that. Q - So potentially they could get paid? Blanche: Anyone who sues the federal govt could get paid.”

• "The president does not expect any of his leaders, including me, to just say yes to him no matter what he says. There's this extraordinarily false narrative that the president wakes up and calls me and says, 'Todd, go prosecute x or y.' He does not do that. He has never done that. He will never do that."

• Q - “The DOJ has lost 22 cases trying to force states to turn over their voter rolls. Is it time for the DOJ to drop this fight? Blanche: No, we're not going to stop. Election integrity is something that Trump ran on, and the American people elected him.”

… Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told WaPo that he likes talk to ChatGPT to pass time on long car drives across his home state: “It’s kind of like you can sit there and talk to an expert. You don’t know whether or not they’re 100% correct. But they put you on the right path.”

… Politico reports during a lengthy profile that Rep. Nance Mace (R-SC), who recently came in last in the Republican primary for governor, has gotten several new tattoos.

… NY Post: “Republican businessman Anthony Constantino is threatening to sue the pollster behind a shock new survey that has him trailing his Democratic opponent by 10 points in his bid to succeed retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik. Constantino, who runs the Sticker Mule company and famously put a huge ‘Vote for Trump’ on the roof of his upstate factory, trails dairy farmer Blake Gendebien 43-39, according to a new News Channel 13/ Survey USA poll.”

… Constantino also funded a $250,000 bronze statue of Trump that he gifted to the president for his golf club: “They put out a totally fake poll and they do this for one reason only – to help the Democratic Party fundraise. We’re talking to lawyers seeing what can be done.”

… CNN: “Trump has finally given the green light to pour millions of dollars from his personal PAC toward boosting vulnerable Republicans in Nov, as some top campaign advisers privately acknowledge that Republicans’ chances of keeping control of both the House and Senate are dwindling.”

… “Trump’s political team is still debating what the final dollar figure will be, though one person familiar with the discussions floated $30 million in the first tranche. Another official cautioned that the final amounts have not yet been decided. The long-awaited cash infusion is happening in the coming weeks, describing it as the first salvo in a stretch-run effort as Nov looms just 3 months away.”

… Two weeks. I’ll believe it when I see it. He has $400 million in his PAC and has spent zero so far. He did the same thing in 2022.

… “Still, there’s widespread angst within the party that Trump has waited too long to get more directly involved. Lawmakers and operatives have privately agonized for months over the president’s reluctance to commit his vast sums to helping elect candidates across the country.”

… WaPo: "Trump wants to put giant golden seals on WH ballroom. The planned adornments, which were included in renderings submitted to the Supreme Court, break with tradition and the original vision for the WH grounds.”

… House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Meet the Press:

• Q - “Would you vote for or against Medicare for All? Jeffries: It’s not legislation that I currently am co-sponsoring or that I support, but I support the notion we’ve got to find a path forward to fix our broken healthcare system.”

• Q - “Should ICE be abolished? Jeffries: “I’m committed to dramatically reforming ICE. The masks should come off, body cameras should come on, judicial warrants should be required.”

• Q - “Do democratic socialists belong in the Democratic Party? Jeffries: What I can say is I do not support defunding the police, I do not support open borders, I do not support abolishing the Senate. We’re focused on actually solving the problems hard-working American taxpayer want us to solve, which is to lower the high cost of living in a situation where life is far too expensive in this country. That’s the Democratic agenda.”

… AZ Central reported that former AZ senator Kyrsten Sinema admitted in deposition to having an affair with her then-married former bodyguard Matthew Ammel in the “homewrecker” lawsuit brought by his wife in NC.

… HuffPost: The National Association of Black Journalists gave ESPN’s sports and political commentator Stephen A. Smith the ‘Thumbs Down’ award for his “recurring public pattern of disparaging public commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports and media.”

… Smith responded: “The NABJ wants to call folks out, fine! You had your turn, now mine is coming. And make no mistake - I’m coming. Let’s see who REALLY deserves a Thumbs Down award when it comes to the Black Community, after I say my peace! Remember NABJ, you asked for it. I’ve shut my mouth for years. Now y’all started something.”

… The DNC officially approved the 2028 presidential primary calendar: South Carolina goes first on Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada (Feb. 1), New Hampshire (Feb. 8), New Mexico (Feb. 15), Michigan (Feb. 22) and Virginia on (Feb. 29).

… The right-wing website Resist the Mainstream reports that CNN commentator Scott Jennings is now the front-runner to replace Karoline Leavitt as press secretary. I would note though that another strong possibility - Alina Habba - was sitting at the table next to Trump at Bedminster on Saturday night.

… Trump was raging about Fox today on Truth Social. This was all one post:

“Watching FoxNews with Shannon Bream is always like watching the Worst of Fake News CNN. I don’t know Shannon, but she always seems to pick guests, charts, and “polls” that are negative, never talking about all of the incredible things that the Trump Administration has done, like Total Border Control, the Most Successful Stock Market in History (81 Record Days in a year and a half!), Biggest Investment in our Country in History (19.2 Trillion Dollars!), breaking the Record by many times over, the Great Military Victories over Venezuela and the essential Denuclearization of Iran — The rest to follow! — The Lowest Crime Rate in Recorded History, the Lowest Murder Rate since 1900 — 125 years! — The Highest Number of People that have Jobs in the United States, EVER, the fact that the United States is more RESPECTED throughout the World than at any time in Memory, the Biggest Drop in Drug Prices, over 500%, than has ever been seen before, which will lead to tremendous SAVINGS in Healthcare, the Rebuilding of our Military, in my First Term, making it the Strongest in U.S. History, with the inclusion of Space Force, and so many other things! Yet, week after week, I see Shannon “interviewing” hostile guests, and having losers like Juan Williams, who got fired like a dog from PBS, was thrown off of The Five for somebody even dumber than him, Jessica Tarlov, and when he saw me walking into the Headquarters of Fox, he went CRAZY, begging me for a picture — “Could I have a picture with you? It would be such a Great Honor!” In any event, Shannon’s “show” is beyond redemption. Fortunately, MAGA, which is close to 100% of the Republican Party, understands that, and watch her “Ratings” start to fall. Chris Wallace was bad, but Shannon is even worse! Oh well, it couldn’t have had too much of an impact, because I’m now heading back into the Oval Office to continue working on more TRIUMPHS and SUCCESSES for our Country!”

… The Independent: “A large store in TN that exclusively sells Trump merchandise is closing, and it is due to a lack of shoppers. The store is located along I-40 near Knoxville, and its exterior has massive Trump billboard, banners, and a brick outhouse labelled the ‘Democrat Superstore’ make clear what kind of goods the shop is slinging.”

… “But now the shop is selling off its remaining inventory at a 50% discount. It’s going out of business, and its owner, identified as William Hays, admitted the closure is due to lack of customers. An employee at the shop, who identified himself as Dan, backed up Hays’ version of events. ‘We’re not busy anymore,’ he said.”

… Dan was candid about why he thinks shoppers have stopped showing up. He admitted that Trump’s popularity was “dwindling” and noted that a lot of people are struggling with their finances in the face of Trump’s tariffs and high gas prices resulting from his war in Iran: “People really are saying, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to do a full load of groceries or I’m going to put my electric bill on a credit card this month.’”

… Karoline Leavitt posted a video from Trump’s rally in NY on Friday that shows him with some kind of weird device sticking out of his butt. Lots of speculation and theories on social media. The most common response claimed it is some kind of diaper. We report, you decide.